


Safehouse

by orphan_account



Category: Leverage
Genre: Family of Choice, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-17
Updated: 2015-09-17
Packaged: 2018-04-21 05:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4816373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hardison wants his 'family' to move in with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safehouse

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seraphina_snape](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphina_snape/gifts).



> Summary: Hardison wants his 'family' to move in with him.  
> Rating: PG-13  
> Pairing/s: Eliot/Parker/Hardison  
> Warnings: none  
> Word count: 1,511  
> Disclaimer: I DON’T own anyone or anything. I DON’T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

For as long as she could remember, Parker hadn’t had a home in the traditional way people used to have one. She hadn’t lived in an apartment, or a house for that matter. After all, where was the sense in it? Parker wasn’t one to curl up on a couch near a window to read a book on a rainy day. She wouldn’t stand in a fancy kitchen and cook delicious meals. She wouldn’t lie in a bathtub for hours, doing absolutely nothing.

All Parker needed fitted into her warehouse just fine. The world out there was her home, along with all the shiny stuff that was just waiting for her to steal it. It was okay. She had lived in a couple of ‘homes’ before, but if that was what people were looking for, she didn’t want it. Foster parents and orphanages hadn’t exactly solidified her wish to settle down in a house or apartment or studio or loft, or whatever else people used to call them.

And then, she had come across a certain bunch of fellow thieves, who had twisted the world she knew upside down. There were those people she cared for, a little more with every passing day. There was Sophie, who tried to make her understand how the average human being behaved. And Hardison, who wouldn’t let her skip away and hide the way she did in the past.

Nope, Parker was no longer allowed to live a life in the shadows, and by the time Sophie and Nate decided to leave, she knew where she belonged. Being alone? Would probably be okay if she gave it time. But nah, she didn’t want that anymore. She had Hardison and Eliot now, and if she was entirely honest, she didn’t want to miss them for no money in the world.

So Parker didn’t even bother to argue when Hardison led her to a house in Boston, where they were living again now that things had settled down enough. She was glad he hadn’t picked a villa again...that one had been cool, but kinda overdone, even for her. Villas were nice to rob, but not to live in.

The house, however, looked pretty, even though Parker didn’t fully understand why Hardison was so excited by it.

“It’s gonna be our new headquarters,” he announced, linking her arm with his as he guided her to the entrance. “And, even more important, it’s gonna be our new home, too.”

“Our new home?” Parker lifted her eyebrows at the taste of those words. Our new home. Owning a restaurant/headquarters/whatever where she would occasionally sleep and hang out most of the time was one thing. Actually owning a home and sharing it...hm.

“I know you’re not that much into the concept of settling down, and that’s totally not what we’re gonna do. Hence why it’s called headquarters,” Hardison continued and Parker wondered if he had stolen Nate’s talent to read minds. “But I think there’s nothing wrong with actually living in the same place now. I mean, look at all the jobs that might come out all of a sudden. Won’t even need to call each other. Just meet in the living room real quickly, talk it all through and bam. Makes organising things so much easier.”

Parker nodded seriously, biting her tongue not to grin. Only Hardison would find a way to make his wish to move in with the others look like it’s totally for practical reasons. She wondered what he’d told Eliot to convince the guy.

“See, I thought of everything,” the hacker continued to praise his concept. “There’s an extra amount of twisty air vents in case you feel like being in one. There’s tons of room for all that thiefy stuff you own. Eliot got an extra room with a huge punching bag, some heavy training things…”

“So Eliot’s going to live here too?” she wanted to know.

Off-track thanks to her interruption for a moment, Hardison stared back at her before he nodded. “Yeah, sure. Wasn’t that easy to convince him, but you know him, don’t ya? Promise the guy an extra big, fancy kitchen and a decent punching bag, and he grumbles some stuff at you and decides to stay.”

“Maybe I just agreed because you wouldn’t have shut up otherwise,” Eliot shot back from another room. Parker followed the voice and had to admit that the room she entered was truly the definition of a ‘big, fancy kitchen’. Half of what she spotted she hadn’t ever seen before. At least not in association with cooking. Hardison had even installed his beloved laser, although she doubted Eliot would ever even get close to the thing.

The hacker just grinned at the grumpy words, patting Eliot’s shoulder as he said, “Love ya, too, man.” He stepped closer. “What are you cooking? That smells awesome.”

Eliot tried to hide the hint of a smile caused by Hardison’s words and answered as nonchalantly as possible. Parker, not too interested in the familiar bickering, roamed the kitchen instead. Her eyes went wide in surprise and awe when she opened one of the cupboards, leaving her speechless for a moment.

“That’s a lot of cereals,” she gasped. She’d been prepared for the amount of Hardison’s favorite lemonade. But this…

“Yeah, well…” Awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, Hardison shrugged. “I know you’re getting into Eliot’s black noodles and stuff. But I thought you might want your beloved cereals too.”

“Is that every brand you can buy in Boston?”

“Pretty much.” Hardison blushed. “Thought you might get bored with the same one after a while.”

It wasn’t much. Not even anything ‘normal’ people would care for, Parker assumed. But the gesture warmed something deep in her chest. Tons of cereals, of all kinds, just for her. She wondered of how many more little details the hacker had considered for her. And for Eliot.

Hardison didn’t let her wait long to find out.

~~~~

The city of Boston was busy, even far after midnight. Not as busy as the never-sleeping city of New York, but noisy nonetheless. Within the thick and Hardison-modified walls of the house, Parker could barely hear anything of it. The walls were soundproof, he had explained. Which Eliot had been bothered by until Hardison had explained that there were tons of ways to alert him once someone dared to approach the house. She sat on the kitchen counter with a bowl of cereals resting upon her crossed legs, eyes closed as she enjoyed the silence.

Well, almost silence. It was just barely disturbed by Eliot, whom she could hear heading downstairs to join her in the kitchen a minute later. He had taught her well obviously, considering that she could tell the difference between her partners’ walking styles.

He didn’t say anything, didn’t even question why she would have a bowl of food in the middle of the night with closed eyes. It said a lot about their relationship that he had come to a point where he no longer rolled his eyes at her but accepted whatever she did.

“Can’t sleep?” she asked eventually, opening her eyes to squint at him in the semi-darkness. Neither of them needed to turn the lights on to navigate. “Takes some time to get used to a new place, huh? With all the new ways for people to get in.”

“I doubt anyone can get past whatever security system Hardison has installed,” Eliot stated. He paused, staring ahead for a moment before he met her eyes. “I’m surprised you agreed to move in here so easily. Didn’t take him much effort.”

Parker shrugged. “Didn’t think you’d agree to move in at all.”

“Someone has to watch out for the two of you.”

She chuckled. Maybe Hardison, but certainly not her. She had learnt ages ago how to stay safe and keep harm away. Then again, there was something about someone taking care of you. “Do you mind?” she wanted to know then. Before he could answer, she added, “I know you promised Sophie you’d take care of us. But...do you mind? Kinda being something like family with us?”

“Do you?”

“Sophie said it’s rude to answer a question with a question.” She winked at him with a grin.

Even in the darkness, she could see how he rolled his eyes at her. “I don’t mind,” he assured her then.

Parker shrugged. “I don’t either.”

They returned to their earlier tasks then, Eliot moving across the kitchen quietly like a cat while Parker happily munched on the remains of her cereals. For as long as she could remember, she hadn’t needed a home. A house. A family. Stealing had been her life. She didn’t need anything else. Or anyone. Certainly no more disappointments. Until a certain group of thieves had crossed her path. Now she had a hacker and a hitter by her side. Commitment had never been her thing, but maybe people were right with saying that one just had to find the right partners.


End file.
